Reed Gold Mine: the plaque
A close look at the commemorative plaque photographed at Reed Gold Mine.
Photographs supplied by Vincent J. Esposito
Read the historical background
Reed Gold Mine: an early American gold rush
The plaque commemorates the 1799 discovery on the Reed farm in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, recognized by the state historic site as the first documented gold find in the United States. Conrad Reed found a large yellow rock in Little Meadow Creek; according to the site’s history, the family used the roughly seventeen-pound nugget as a doorstop before recognizing its value.
The discovery connects a family farm to the growth of mining in the North Carolina Piedmont decades before the California gold rush. The plaque is a commemorative object, rather than the discovery itself, but it directs attention to the local landscape and the economic changes that followed the find.
Historical sources: Read the source